Victor thoughtlessly reaches for his sword but stops midway, looks up at Wren with a confused look on his face. Leaning over and whispering to Kern, "Hey Kern, am I suppose to kill it? Or is Wren just slightly irritated? My mind tells me it is both, but I have learned not to trust my mind."

"We've been on her damn trail for days now, while you were out doing who knows what. Taking five minutes to get a lead as to her direction, in this cavern which continually doubles back on itself, is worth it. If you just can't wait, run ahead. We'll follow your screams in just a bit,"Wren says coldly.

Belril sneers down at Wren, or at least looks like he is trying very hard to. His height isn't helping the image.

Feh, the only screams you are likely to hear from me are screams of frustration, madam, at the cowardice you are showing! While you were spending days failing to liberate yonder glassworks, I was keeping Sandpoint safe with Shaleul! I, learned wizard, can wait five minutes while you conduct your questioning. But if Ameiko is a prisoner of these wretches, I'll not condone her capture and hasten her captors escape while this wretched creature spins lies for you; not unless I have no other choice left!

At Eponine's clear statement, Belril pats her approvingly on the back, shamelessly and rather blatantly trying to round the group on the cautious evoker.

Well said ma'am! Let it never be said that the Elves did not speak wisdom in matters of goblinoids. And don't worry Sophy dear, nary a blow was landed on Belril the Nimble. But your wise sentiment is no doubt most reassuring for Mighty Kern; for although his flail struck hefty blows and fear into the hearts of his goblin foes, he was wounded in return for his valiant efforts beside me in battle.

Sorry Gerald, I respect you too much to have Belril pull punches. Feel free to resort to glitterdust on him ;).

The late hour and long day are showing in the short tempers of the companions as they debate the next course of action. Kern and Sophy remain neutral on the point of pressing on or holding up. That leaves only Wren arguing for staying to question the goblin and study the items Victor liberated from the dead. While Eponine and Victor, who was easily swayed from Wren's point of view, agree with Belril that pushing on to find Ameiko is critical. It seems Belril may be the only one that realizes one of the goblins got away during the skirmish.

Belril leads the party through the thicket tunnel north, away from the firepelt and goblin druid's lair. The roof of the tunnel starts to ease it's squeeze on the taller members of the group and soon you can see the stars and moon of the night air as Belril emerges from the ticket tunnel, the others just inside it behind him.

Before you is a rope bridge that spans the gulf between the cliff you are on and a roundish, flat-topped island sixty some feet to the north. In the high moonlight you can tell that thick patches of nettles and briars grow here and there atop the island, but its most impressive feature is a wooden one-story stockade. The doors of the stockeade are closed and there is no obvious activity on the island. Two thirty-foot-tall watchtowers guard the stockade’s southern facade. The rope bridge itself is made of hairy rope and thick wooden planks; the whole thing creaks and sways in the wind above the churning surf eighty feet below.

Unless someone dispatches him the last goblin remains tied, gagged, and unconscious in the kennel area of the thicket.

Wren:

You are able to see that cloak, armor, wand, and all the vials emanate the glow of magic. However, due to the group pressing on with haste you only have time to study one of the auras in greater detail. It is clear to you that the wand has a faint aura of evocation power, probably something to do with fire.

"An excellent job keeping Sandpoint safe you did, Belril. If it weren't for you, there might have been 4 or 5 more goblins joining the dozens storming the town, which we fought off, mind you. Well done!" But the argument had turned against Wren's position. She dispatched the goblin with a couple of her trusty cantrips, preferring that to leaving it to starve while being tied up.

She fell in line behind the group as they continued their forced march. She made sure the group carried the magical gear with them, while she kept the wand, knowing that with its aura, she could crack it sooner than later.

LOL, AK. Don't worry about it. As cantankerous as Wren is, I fully expect her to take her share of lumps too.

Go jump up and down on it...test it for us really well, Belril, the petulant mage thinks to herself, still not forgetting the earlier incident. She was exhausted, and her temper, dark on the best of days, was worse than normal.

Kern remains quiet throughout the arguments, not wanting to anger either side (and possibly angering both). The most he does is rub his eyes to fight off tiredness. After Wren kills the goblin, he retrieves the rope he used to tie it up.

By the bridge, he takes a moment to peer over the cliff at the surf below. "That's definitely a fall none of us wants to make," he responds to Belril's comment. "Maybe we should try crossing one at a time. We'll be terribly exposed though if the goblins come at us while we're trying to cross."

Logically, it will hold my weight if it holds a goblins. I'd suggest I sprint quickly across first and leap into the undergrowth, warsling ready. Then Kern can cross, followed by Eponine, Sophy and Wren in that order while Victor can cover their crossing with his bow and I with my sling if they spot us. Knowing goblins like I do, the vermin are probably not watching the bridge particularly carefully.

After Belril studies the rope bridge for close to ten minutes he concludes that it is a rope bridge, poorly tied up by goblins, but tied securely none the less.

After conferring with Kern, the halfling sprints across the bridge trusting the goblins will not have the discipline to keep watch. The bridge sways from his charge across causing the wood planks to creak loudly.

Once on the other side, he dives into the bushes concealing himself from view of the stockade.

Don't know if taking 10 will even work for Sophy; that's only a total of 12. She has no objection to Belril's proposed order and will follow Eponine over unless someone else objects.

Stepping onto the swinging bridge, Sophy can't decide if the darkness which prevents her from seeing the sea below is a good thing or a bad one. She feels very vulnerable, crossing with the glowing crossbow at her belt, all lit up for target practice; her sole consolation is the hope that goblins don't have any ranged weapons that can shoot accurately across such a distance.

Light is not dismissable, so unless the crossing happens to coincide with her every-forty-minutes recasting time, she can't turn off the crossbow.

Victor chuckles as Belril makes his way across. "I like that little guy. He is full of fire." Looking at Wren, Victor deems she seems a bit worse for wear. "Almost as much as you, Miss Wren." He says with a smile as he waits for her to cross before he follows.

Wren opens her mouth surely to point out one of Victor's many flaws. Without uttering a word, she closes her mouth and shakes her head, muttering under her breath. If Victoe listens closely, he can hear a "thank you" hidden in there between expletives.

Taking the halfling's lead you each start to cross the bridge one at a time. Kern and Eponine quickly cross over the bridge.

Sophy starts across next, worried that her glowing crossbow will single her out as a target. When she gets to the midpoint of the swaying bridge three goblins pop up behind the tower wall of the eastern tower armed with short bows.

The Goblins take aim and fire, one each at Eponine, Kern, and Sophy. An arrow bounces off Kern's armor, but Eponine and Sophy are not so lucky. Victor responds by shooting his own arrow, striking the goblin on the end in the head despite the cover the tower walls gives them.

Two of the goblins squeal in delight and fire again at Eponine and Kern. The third screeches in pain and shifts his aim, targeting Victor on the cliff side. Kern is not so lucky this time and both he and Eponine are struck. Victor is to far away for the goblin's arrow to reach him and it plummets to the crashing surf below.

Belril moves from cover to cover to X31, attempting to remain hidden. Once there, he launches a sling bullet from his position, revealing himself as a target in the process- he aims his surprise attack on the goblin Victor struck if he isn't incapacitated by the time Belril acts.

Not that it matters, since she wasn't targeted in Round 1, but Sophy should have acted before the goblins since her initiative modifier is higher than theirs (+8 vs. +6).

The arrow pierces Sophy's flesh before she is even aware of the goblin archers. She flinches in surprise, throwing up her arm defensively and letting out a cry of pain and alarm that turns into a shuddering gasp as the rickety bridge swings creakily beneath her feet. She moves carefully to the far side of the bridge, so focussed on keeping the bridge still that she barely notices the faintly-glowing rainbow-tinted bubble that has come into being protectively around her.

I acutally thought it was dexterity score as well. Didn't realize it changed. Hm.

"Ha! I got you, you little bugger!" Victor revels in the shot as he heads across the bridge attempting to draw the goblins fire. "HERE I AM YOU STUPID BUGGERS! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HIT ME!" He yells as he fires again.

Move 30' across bridge. I think AE 33, but it's hard to tell. As far as 30' will take me, anyway. :) Attacking same one.

Sophy is wrapped in an aura of multicolored hues as she runs to the end of the bridge as the goblins on the wall take their shots. Victor runs out onto the bridge tryinging to draw their fire. He takes aim and shoots at the goblin he has already struck once. The arrow streaks across the gap and into the goblins eye and plunging deep into its brain. Eponine lets her curved blade drop to the thick coarse grass atop the island as she pulls out her ranged weapon, as she does she summons herself some magical protection. Belril sneaks across the path taking a position below the goblin archers. Taking aim he fires a stone striking the next goblin in line square in the face.

The doors to the stockade are pushed open by two small goblins as more rush out of from within. One advances on Eponine and takes a swing at her with his dogslicer, but her magical shield prevents the blow. Another rushes at Belril's backside, slashing the halfling.

From behind the emerging goblins four goblin dog's come pouring out of the darkness inside the stockade. The first goes after Belril, nipping harmlessly at the halfings heels. Two more rush up in front of Eponine and Kern, both snapping their jaws at the fighter. One scores nasty bite. A fourth one steaks straight for Eponine pushing past the goblin that just missed her and takes a bite out of her.

Sophy finds herself trapped at the precarious edge of the cliff, the front lines of the battle in front of her and the creaking bridge behind her. The goblins and their hideous rat-like dogs are swarming out of their stockade like ants from an anthill; surely they will all be overrun, but there's no way to retreat. Drawing her dagger so she won't go down without a fight, she hesitantly reaches out to heal Kern in front of her, desperately praying to Desna that the ugly-looking rash that has sprung up on the back of his neck isn't contagious....

Kern feels the itchiness of a rash allergy spread across his skin. Angrily he pounds his flail on the back of the dog that bit him, snapping its spine and delivering it to death in a single blow. Wren, seeing the goblins spilling out of the stockade, targets one with her magic. Beside Belril the goblin yelps from the unseen attack.

Sophy finds herself trapped at the precarious edge of the cliff, the front lines of the battle in front of her and the creaking bridge behind her. The goblins and their hideous rat-like dogs are swarming out of their stockade like ants from an anthill; surely they will all be overrun, but there's no way to retreat. Drawing her dagger so she won't go down without a fight, she hesitantly reaches out to heal Kern in front of her, desperately praying to Desna that the ugly-looking rash that has sprung up on the back of his neck isn't contagious....

Sophy realizes that the only thing between her and some very hungry goblin dog's is Kern, so to keep him there she touches his shoulder allowing a flood of warm healing magic to spread into him. The spell start to nit his wounds and immediately clears up his rash.

On the east wall the goblin archers take aim at Belril and Victor, but both arrows miss their intended targets.

On the west wall three more archers appear. Two shoot wild and into the sea below, but Sophy is not as lucky. Even her magic fails to stop the arrow streaking towards her from striking.

Victor moves up behind Sophy and fires another arrow at the goblins on the wall. It flies true killing another of the archers. Eponine feels the burn of the rash race across her skin as she drops her bow and whips out a dagger. She slashes at the dog, taking a nick of flesh off of its grotesque nose. Belril snaps his staff down, smacking the goblin hard on the skull.

One of the goblins that pushed open the door, brandishes it's dogslicer as it tromps through the thick briars to get around the goblin dog and close in on Eponine. The other moves across the clearing placing itself between Belril and Kern, it slashes its blade and misses the halfling. From inside the stockade a goblin screams a curse and moves to stand over the fallen goblin dog. It strikes Kern despite the warriors good armor. Another goblin sees Belril as easy pickings and works its way around the goblin dog to get on the other side trying to surround the halfling. The goblin in front of Eponine slashes at her again, but her magical shield keeps the blow from hitting. The goblin that Belril beaned on the head shakes the pain away and stabs at the halfling. The swelling on his head must be effecting his vision, and the blade doesn't even get close to the intended target. A goblin inside the stockade moves closer to the door, sheathes his blade and pulls a short bow off of its back.

In front of Kern an angry goblin dog tries to eat the fighter, but he avoids the nasty teeth. Belril and Eponine are also able to avoid the vicious bites of the goblin dogs facing them. From the dark of the stockade the howls of more goblin dog's can be heard as three more rush out off the stockade and into the clearing.

To answer Belril's Questions: On the map the dark green areas will be difficult terrain. They are low bushes of briars and nettles so they don't provide any cover unless you want to get down low and try to hide in them.

Seeing the group getting swarmed, Wren wanted to move forward, but knew the bridge might not be able to support any more weight. As such, she continues to fire her force missles at the goblins, first at x 30.

Kern breathes a sigh of relief as Sophy's healing energies wash over him. "Thanks, Sophy," he says. "What would I do without you?"

Despite the desperate situation, she blushes a little. "Better than I'd do without you," she calls back, eyeing the boiling swarm of bloodthirsty monsters being kept away from her by the wall of Kern and Eponine. Seeing that the elf-woman is also dripping blood from a savage bite, she touches Eponine and wills healing energy into her. Every time Kern hits one of the goblin dogs, it falls, but more keep running out of the building. How many more can there be? she wonders. How long can Kern and Eponine fend them off before they're overrun? She wants to suggest a retreat across the bridge, where they can't be attacked from so many angles at once, but Belril is separated from them and the bridge by so many enemies. They can't abandon him....

Kern bashes another of the dogs, smashing it dead again in a single blow. Wren's bolt of force arcs across the gap to the island hill flawlessly striking her target.

End of Round 3

Sophy reaches out to keep Eponine alive, curing the elf of the painful rash and fixing up some of her wounds as well. From atop the walls the goblin archers unleash another volley of arrows. Only Sophy is struck as the rest of the arrows fall harmlessly to the ground